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Fire danger continues to be ‘extreme’ in most parts of province: Alberta government

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:19 GMT

The Alberta government says fire danger continues to be extreme in most of the province except the Rockies, where lower danger levels were expected.Some areas have experienced cooler temperatures and some rain, but the government says a return to hot and windy conditions is expected in the coming days.Indigenous Services Canada said Tuesday that nine First Nations were under threat by active wildfires.One of them was Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, about 360 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, where 1,600 people were forced to leave after fire destroyed 45 structures and power infrastructure.As of early Wednesday morning, Alberta’s wildfire status dashboard was reporting 81 active wildfires in the province, including 27 listed as out of control.Firefighters from Yukon, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec have arrived in Alberta to help, and the government said late Tuesday that crews were also expected from New Brunswick, Oregon and Alaska.This report by The Canadian Press was first...

Municipalities asked Alberta’s United Conservatives to keep aerial wildfire fighters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:19 GMT

EDMONTON — Alberta’s 2019 decision to cancel funding for an elite wildfire-fighting crew in 2019 came despite pleas to keep the Rapattack program from at least three municipalities, including one that has since been evacuated during this spring’s blazes.“Rapattack is a pivotal program in the fight against wildfire and without them communities will be losing a valuable resource,” wrote Jim Hailes, then mayor of Fox Creek, to Devin Dreeshen, then the United Conservative forestry minister. Fox Creek’s 1,700 residents are expected to be out of their homes until at least Wednesday. Rapattack firefighters are rappelled from helicopters to douse wildfires while they still only covered a few hectares. They could extinguish small fires before they merge and clear landing spaces for other helicopters to bring in crews and gear.There were once 63 such firefighters stationed around the province before the government cancelled the program in 2019, saving $1.4 millio...

German chancellor, state officials meet for migration summit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:19 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has invited top officials of the country’s 16 states for a summit Wednesday on the growing number of asylum-seekers and the lack of housing and spaces in schools or kindergartens for them.The federal government and the states have been arguing for months over who gets to pay for the rising costs.In addition to the more than 1 million Ukrainians who came to Germany last year looking for shelter from Russia’s war on their country, the number of asylum-seekers is also up steeply. Ukrainians receive refugee status in Germany immediately and don’t need to apply for asylum.In 2022, more than 244,000 people applied for asylum in Germany. In the first four months of this year, 101,981 people applied for asylum — an increase of 78% compared with the previous year, according to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. Experts estimate that up to 300,000 migrants could apply for asylum in Germany this year.Many of those now arriving...

Give STL Day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:19 GMT

https://www.givestlday.org/

Daily horoscope for May 10, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:19 GMT

Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or making important decisions from 7:30 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. EDT today (4:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. PDT). After that, the Moon moves from Capricorn into Sagittarius.Happy Birthday for Wednesday, May 10, 2023:You have enormous energy and drive, which you often use to benefit others because you are a determined idealist. You set high standards for yourself and others. Simplicity is the key to life this year. Take charge of your health. Physical exercise will be important. Stay grounded and levelheaded.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★For some reason, people seem to know personal details about your private life today. Be aware of this in case you have to do some damage control. We all have secrets and skeletons in our closets. (Especially those who claim they don’t.) Tonight: Patience.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★You will feel happier today if you can change your routine or do something different. You want a little excitement in your life! Ideally, you would love to...

Spain considers ending or curbing controversial 'golden visa' scheme

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:19 GMT

Spain may end its "golden visa" programme that gives residency rights to foreigners investing in real estate. This is according to the leader a left-wing political party negotiating with the government on the issue.Inigo Errejon, the leader of the Mas Pais political party, told reporters that his party and the Social Security Ministry had reached an agreement to end the program. The programme allows property buyers who spend at least €500,000, as well as their families, to receive a three-year residence permit.Errejon stated that "Spanish citizenship can't be bought" and added that the golden visas have led to an "brutal rise" in housing prices, forcing locals from their neighborhoods without creating new jobs.The ministry refused to confirm any plans to end the program. Officials familiar with the discussions said that no agreement has yet been reached, as the ministry is still studying the proposals of political parties.El Pais reported earlier on Monday (8 May) that Spain is cons...

Harriette Cole: Is there anything I can do about my tough boss?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:19 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I work for a woman who is so tough.At first, I thought this was great. She has risen up the ranks in our company and is one of the few women at the top. She has broken so many records, it isn’t funny. But she is almost impossible to talk to.I have never seen even a glimmer of softness. I don’t mean “girliness” or anything. I mean compassion or kindness. If you mess up on anything, you are guaranteed to be reprimanded publicly for it.I have been with the company for about a year now and have lived through a fair amount of her wrath. I have also noticed that most people don’t stick around too long.Should I try to get her to warm up to me? Or should I make a plan and move on when the opportunity presents itself? Very few people move up the food chain here. It’s almost like she only values leaders who come from somewhere else.Is It Worth It?Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: I can’t put up with her rants any long...

Miss Manners: This aggressive swimmer ruined my hotel pool time

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:19 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: What is the etiquette around sharing a hotel swimming pool?Today there were five people attempting to swim laps in the 25-meter pool. Two were thrashing up and down, and rather than using the lap lane, they each took up a third of the pool’s width. This left the three others to share the remaining third.The swimmer in the middle of the pool did not make any attempt to avoid other swimmers and nearly hit one of them each time he passed. He seemed to feel that his “need for speed” exempted him from polite sharing.This is a frequent problem for me at hotels. What to do?GENTLE READER: Etiquette dictates that people using common facilities should be courteous and share, and it leaves to local initiative the details of how this is to be accomplished. But as this is not specific enough to solve your problem, Miss Manners will add a few observations.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: When we older folks make a pronoun slip, there’s c...

Dear Abby: My brother’s last wish made me the target of nasty comments

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:19 GMT

DEAR ABBY: My brother “Gene” passed away a few months ago. He had been in and out of the hospital for most of 2022.He had four children, and while he wasn’t close to them, he tried to have a relationship with them. One child lived in the same town but wanted nothing to do with him.When they found out Gene was dying, they all wanted to know what they were getting. Gene’s last wish was that they not be informed about his death. I felt I owed it to him to honor his wishes.Prior to his passing, his oldest child was saying what a horrible father he was. Now he is gone, and she’s mad she “didn’t get to grieve” and is posting nasty things about me on social media. I won’t stoop to her level and respond.Gene quit talking to all of them four months before his death. Was I wrong for not telling them? HONORING MY BROTHERRelated ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: A pack of widows jumps on a scolding sister-in-law Advice | ...

Fairfax Co. health official shares what to do as the COVID-19 public health emergency ends

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:19 GMT

For many people, spring is the time of year to go through homes, removing anything old and outdated. And with the COVID-19 public health emergency coming to an official end Thursday, it is also a good time to check the status of pandemic supplies.The Food and Drug Administration extended the shelf-life of some at-home COVID tests. However, using old or expired tests could mean an inaccurate result.“If your tests have expired and it’s been several months, they may not be reliable. So when you go ahead and take a test and it shows negative, it could be that the test is no longer valid,” said Dr. Parham Jaberi, deputy director for Medical Services at the Fairfax County Health Department.Jaberi said the tests also won’t be as reliable if they have been sitting in the closet for over a year, or in the garage, where temperatures can fluctuate. He suggests using the information on the FDA website to double check the expiration dates, to see if it can be used past the date printed on the ba...